hair follicle

noun

Definition of hair follicle

: the tubular epithelial sheath that surrounds the lower part of the hair shaft and encloses at the bottom a vascular papilla supplying the growing basal part of the hair with nourishment — see hair illustration

Examples of hair follicle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Stem cells were identified in other adult tissues throughout the body: in the skin, in hair follicles, in the gut — and a few months ago, in bone. Quanta Magazine, "What Defines a Stem Cell? Scientists Rethink the Answer," 4 Dec. 2018 François advises massaging the scalp while lathering to increase blood flow and stimulate the hair follicles, which promotes growth. Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "6 Foolproof Tips for Growing Out Your Hair, According to Pro Stylists," 20 Oct. 2018 One principle behind it is to kill fast-growing cells, which include tumor cells but also the healthy tissue lining the gut and mouth and hair follicle. Maggie Fox /, NBC News, "Is chemo obsolete? Not by a long shot, cancer experts say," 24 June 2018 Deeper peels penetrate the dermis, a deeper layer of the skin which contains sweat glands, nerve endings, hair follicles, sebaceous glands and blood vessels. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The clinical advantage of chemical peels," 16 May 2018 Then the machine cooled her scalp to as low as 64 degrees Fahrenheit, narrowing blood vessels to limit the amount of cancer-killing drugs that reach hair follicles. Liz Kowalczyk, BostonGlobe.com, "New therapy allows cancer patients to keep hair but most insurers won’t cover it," 12 Apr. 2018 Each hair follicle on the breasts has been carefully placed and measured. Steve Heisler, Chicago Reader, "Sarah Squirm's comedy celebrates her body in all its oozing, disgusting glory," 7 Mar. 2018 Researchers at Japan's Yokohama National University used a chemical found in the fries to grow hair follicles on mice. Editors, USA TODAY, "Spoiler alert: The Winter Olympics will be so wintry," 6 Feb. 2018 Scientists in Japan found that dimethylpolysiloxane was a key in producing mass amounts of hair follicle germs (HFGs) at once during a study on mice. Collier Sutter, PEOPLE.com, "A Chemical in McDonald's French Fries Could Help Cure Baldness, Study Says," 6 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hair follicle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of hair follicle

1838, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for hair follicle

hair follicle

noun

Medical Definition of hair follicle

: the tubular epithelial sheath that surrounds the lower part of the hair shaft and encloses at the bottom a vascular papilla supplying the growing basal part of the hair with nourishment